Posts Tagged ‘golf swings’

Everything You Wanted to Know About Golf Clubs – Almost!

Sunday, January 24th, 2010

By Kevin Fairbanks

A good set of golf clubs is the weapon of choice for the advanced golfer. A complete set of clubs consists of at least one driver, fairway woods (which are now metal woods), irons and a putter. Some clubs in recent years have been replaced with hybrid golf clubs to replace longer irons and fairway metal woods.

There is an entity known as the USGA or the United States Golf Association. This group determines the rules of golf, including the number of golf clubs that can be used in a round of golf. This limit is fourteen golf clubs. Normally, the standard golfer would have one driver, one putter, three wedges, seven irons, and two fairway woods in their golf bag. The combination of golf clubs is as varied as there are golfers. Hybrid golf clubs have begun replacing some of the longer golf irons and fairway woods in the golf bag.

The driver is the club that is most golfers favorite golf club, even though it is usually not used on every hole. The driver golf club is the longest golf club with the biggest head at the end of the shaft. This allows the golfer to hit the golf ball with the greatest distance, but not always the most accuracy. Rules regulate the size of the club head. The golf club driver will be the most expensive single golf club in the golfers bag. Name brand golf club drivers will cost between $200 and $400. Discount golf club drivers can be purchased for around $100 or even less.

The fairway woods have club heads that are slightly more lofted than the driver, and are used for long shots when the ball is lying on the ground. The club heads used to be made of wood, but now are mostly metal. Fairway woods normally retail from $150 to $300. You can realize major savings with clone golf woods that run at quite a discount over name brand golf woods.

Hybrid golf clubs have made a big entry into the world of golf clubs. They are very versatile golf clubs that are used in place of long irons and fairway woods. Hybrid golf clubs combine the best features of the fairway wood and long irons. Wit this versatility, they can be used almost anywhere on the golf course. Prices for hybrid golf clubs run similar to drivers, but discount hybrid golf clubs are available along with clone and knockoff hybrid golf clubs.

Golf irons are the essence of a set of golf clubs. Two thirds of the shots in a normal round of golf will utilize an iron. Irons are used to hit the golf ball off the ground from distances of 125 yards to 225 yards. Each iron is assigned a number based upon the loft angle of the club head. The 9-iron has the most loft, a shorter shaft, and is used to hit short, high shots. A 2-iron has very little loft, a longer shaft, and is used to hit low, long shots.

Golf club wedges can be part of the golf club iron set purchase. Normal golf club wedges include a pitching wedge, the sand wedge and different lofts of lob wedges. These golf club wedges are used for shots that are within 100 yards or closer to the green. These shots are sometimes referred to as the money shot because they should get you very close to the pin. The number of wedges carried by the golfer is dependent upon their particular golf game and their strengths and weaknesses.

The golfer has the choice of 2 primary types of golf club irons. For the more experienced golfer, forged irons are mad for precision and enable easier shaping of shots for draws and fades. Cavity-backed golf irons have a larger sweet spot and are more forgiving on off-center shots, providing straighter shots. A set of golf irons consisting of 2 through 9, a sand wedge and a pitching wedge, would range in price from $250 to over $1,500. Discount golf irons can provide great savings and are sometimes referred to as knockoff golf irons or clone golf irons.

The final and perhaps most important golf club, is the putter. The putter is also known as the “money club” because it is the club used to tap the ball into the hole. The purpose of the putter is to roll the ball, so there is no loft on the club head.

Being the most important golf club, the putter has gone through quite a change in recent years. The size and shape of the putter head comes in many different varieties. The shaft length also can be very short or very long and anywhere in between. Conventional putters, belly putters, mallet putters – the choices seem endless. Golf club putters also have a wide range of prices, ranging from around $20 to around $300.

Kevin is the husband of Becky and the father of 2, Nicholas and Kirsten. He is an avid sports fan and over-all good guy. He has taken his love of sports and developed web sites that offer that love of sports to others.

http://www.GolfClubsHome.com

http://collectiblesport.com/golfmemorabilia

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kevin_Fairbanks

Golf Gifts and Golf Grip Kits

Sunday, January 24th, 2010

By Gordon Petten

Gifts, as is known are matter of expressing intimacy and are exchanged without price. Golf gifts are no exception. Being a golfer when you think of gifting something to anyone the first thing which will come to your mind will surely be the golf gift. Usually golf gifts are given to potential young golfers to encourage them to play more and more golf.

You have to choose perfect golf gifts for these young beginners considering their style. You have plenty of golf articles and accessories to choose from. To name some of golf gifts they are golf clubs, golf irons, golf bags, golf knickers, classic ball case etc. IN the succeeding paragraphs we will elaborate on importance of each golf gift.

In my opinion golf books are the best golf gifts for beginners. A beginner learns lot of things about game and adds to his/her knowledge of the game by reading golf books

Next come golf lessons. These lessons help potential beginners to decide whether he/she really wants to take the game or he/she likes the golf or not. Golf lessons, golf books and CDs/DVDs are excellent golf gifts for beginners.

Many beginners start playing golf with hired or borrowed golf clubs. Usually, golf clubs are considered as matter of personal choice. However, one may not be willing to purchase expensive golf clubs at the beginning. For such people first set of golf club is considered as best gift amongst other golf gifts. Remember to present these golf clubs in a golf bag.

There are number of golf accessories available in markets which as categorized as golf gifts. Golf gloves, ball markers and tees, though some what expensive, are nice golf gifts. Depending to you affordability and intimacy to the person you are going to present golf gifts you may like to present a full set of golf starter kit to a potential beginner.

Golf balls are also the popular articles for presenting as golf gifts. Beginners are not concerned about the type, compression and construction of these golf balls. You can choose golf balls personalizing with nickname, name or customs logo of the beginner. Only disadvantage of gifting such golf balls is that if the ball is lost the person to whom you have gifted it may get upset.

Golf shoes are other option from the golf gifts. Golf shoes are basic requirement for playing golf. Choosing a right shoe that will be fitting and providing comfort to the person you are gifting is not an easy task. Remember you have alternate option of gift certificate. Instead of presenting golf shoes as golf gifts, present a gift certificate and allow him/her to purchase shoes of his/her choice.

Golf courses are considered to be one of the expensive ventures of sports due to their fees structure. To avoid such expensive venture, driving ranges are considered to be best alternative. Presenting a membership of driving range may be the best among golf gifts for a beginner.

Ball tokens, golf gift certificates and 10 bucket pass are the other golf gifts available. Golf gifts are considered to be a motivating factor for beginners.

Golf Grip kits are a common phenomenon amongst golfers. Golfers are always choosy about their golf grip kits. Golf grip kits consist of tape, instruction book and a CD or DVD containing photos about use of golf equipments. Usually, golf grip kits are provided with golf irons and golf grips. Golf grip kits provide you all information like specification, maintenance guide and instruction about the handling of the equipment. Golf grip kits are of utmost importance for the beginners are they get the required information of golf equipments through these golf grip kits.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gordon_Petten

Mental, Physical, Nutritional, and Biomechanical Preparation for Your Golf Game

Sunday, January 24th, 2010

By Sean Cochran Platinum Quality Author

Golf is a game requiring mastery in a variety of areas for success. Breaking down the game of golf into categories. Success and development within is required in the areas of mechanics, physical, nutritional, and mental. Mechanics is the development of the proper biomechanics of the golf swing. Physical entails developing the body around the golf swing. Nutrition incorporates fueling the body for proper success on the golf course. Mental is the development of the correct mind set to excel at the game of golf.

Each and every one of these categories has a direct affect on the development of your golf game. Often the golfer tends to focus only upon the development of the golf swing through mastery of biomechanics of the golf swing. Developing the biomechanics of the golf swing requires you to correctly master each phase of the golf swing. Often the golf swing is broken down into phases. These phases are address, backswing, transition, downswing, and follow through. Not only is it required of the amateur to master each movement entailed in the phases of the golf swing. It is also necessary to perform each specific movement with the correct timing. Finally, the discussion of the biomechanics requires you to create efficiency and repeatability within the golf swing. After recognizing all the intricacies involved in the development of efficient golf swing mechanics. It is understandable why golfers spend an in ornate amount of this part of developing their golf game.

What golfers at times fail to recognize that additional categories exist requiring development to create the optimal golf swing. If ignored these aspects can negatively affect the development of the golf swing and golf game. The next category requiring development within the golfer is categorized as physical. Physical refers to the development of the body around the golf swing. Often times the body is a hindrance in the development of the biomechanics of the golf swing. The golf swing requires certain levels of flexibility, balance, strength, endurance, and power within the body to execute the golf swing correctly. If the body is lacking in any one of these physical categories, the ability to perform the biomechanics of the golf swing correctly will be hindered. The end result is the possible inability to master the biomechanics of the golf swing. The common result is the development of compensations in the golf swing. For example, the golf swing requires a high level of flexibility to complete a full shoulder turn. If the golfer is lacking flexibility, the ability to complete a full shoulder turn will be compromised, thus causing compensations in the golf swing.

Each and every physical component has a direct effect on the execution of the golf swing. Compensations can easily occur if these physical aspects are not developed around the golf swing. In addition to developing these physical aspects of the body, it is of equal importance to develop these parameters around the biomechanics of the golf swing. This type of training is termed cross-specific training. Cross-specific training can be defined as the developing the physical parameters of the body to the positions, movement, and requirements of the golf swing. This simply states the components of flexibility, balance, strength, endurance, and power must be developed around the requirements of the golf swing.

After understanding the physical component of golf swing development. The golfer must understand two additional categories directly affecting the game of golf. The next category the golfer must understand and develop is nutrition. Nutrition is a fairly basic component to understand in relation to golf or any other athletic endeavor. Essentially, nutrition is the process by which one fuels their body for their sport. Basically if poor nutrients are given to the body during athletic endeavors, outputs on the field of competition (i.e. golf course for golfers) will be less than optimal. Nutrition in relation to athletes is not solely concerned about weight loss, but more so on providing the body with the nutrients required for success on and off the course. Weight loss and good health go hand-in-hand with proper nutrition, but with athletes the number one concern is properly fueling the body for success in their chosen sport. Nutrition in golf and athletics in general are required for success during competition and development of the athlete in their chosen sport.

For example, nutrition fuels the body in the development of it physically. In order to develop higher levels of strength and power within the golfer, proper nutrition will undoubtedly increase the success within this category. If the body is provided proper nutrients, the ability of it to develop the physical requirements needed of the golf swing will occur at a much more optimal process.

The final category lending itself to develop of one’s golf game is mental. Often referred to as a key element of success within the game of golf. Numerous materials exist on the development of the mind within golf. It is often a category that is address once a proficiency in the area of golf swing mechanics has materialized, but at times is overlooked by many amateurs within the game. A grasping of the basic concepts of positive mental outlook, visualization, and preparation can improve a golfer’s success rate on course a great deal. As with all other categories requiring development for the game of golf, the mental side of game is in need of attention.

Development of a golfer’s swing and game consists of much more than the golf swing itself. It requires efficiency within the biomechanics of the golf swing. Inside these biomechanics of the golf are ingraining the correct sequence of the golf swing and the timing required. Developing the biomechanics of the golf swing can hinge upon physical components of the body. Certain levels of flexibility, balance, strength, endurance, and power are required to execute the golf swing correctly. On top of developing the body for the golf swing proper nutrition is required. Nutrition fuels the body during a round of golf and assists in the process of developing a well rounded golf game. Finally, the correct mental approach is required for success within this game of golf. The mental side of the game requires just as much attention as the other components in the development of your game of golf. All in all a comprehensive approach in the development of your golf game is required for optimal success in the game of golf. This entails time and effort in the areas of: golf swing biomechanics, developing the flexibility, balance, strength, endurance, and power required physically of the golf swing, properly fueling the body with optimal nutrition, and development of a sound mental approach to the game of golf.

Sean Cochran is one of the most recognized golf fitness instructors in the world today. He travels the PGA Tour regularly with 2004 Masters, 2005 PGA, and 2006 Masters Champion Phil Mickelson. To learn more about Sean and his golf fitness programs go to http://www.seancochran.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sean_Cochran

Improve Your Golf Swing by Improving Your Tempo

Sunday, January 24th, 2010

By Sean Cochran Platinum Quality Author

We have all heard the word tempo in relation to the golf swing. Announcers on television speak of the “great” tempo Ernie Els has in his golf swing. What does tempo mean to the amateur and their golf swing?

Tempo in the Golf Swing

Tempo in the golf swing is a combination of many parts. Tempo is part timing in all aspects of the golf swing. It is part sequencing of each position within the golf swing, and it is part “feel”. Putting all these golf swing parts together creates tempo in your own golf swing.

Interconnecting each phase of the golf swing; address, take-away, backswing, transition, downswing, impact, and follow through is one part of tempo, Performing each of these phases with the correct timing is also tempo. And finally “feel” for the clubhead is part of tempo.

We can probably say tempo is the end goal of all our practice and time spent on our golf swing. Once we have developed tempo in the golf swing, there is definitely a level of mastery within it.

How Do We Develop Tempo in the Golf Swing?

A great question that does not have a simple answer: Developing tempo in the golf swing is a task that requires patience, practice, and time. There really are no short cuts to developing it within your golf swing. One practice session at the driving range will not do it. The use of a single training aide will not get you there. The implementation of a golf fitness program will not achieve this task on its own.

I say this because developing a PGA Tour type golf swing requires a “basket of tools” in your arsenal. Developing tempo and a silky smooth golf swing requires you to:

* Receive proper instruction on the fundamentals of the golf swing

* Maintain a consistent practice schedule with your golf swing

* Use swing drills to develop every as of your golf swing

* The possible implementation of training aides into your practice sessions

* Implementing of golf fitness program to develop your body around the golf swing.

The “basket of tools” listed above put together can lead you to developing great tempo in your golf swing. It requires a comprehensive approach in which no short cuts can be made. Let’s take a look at the bullet points above to get a better understanding of how to go about this process.

Proper Instruction in the Mechanics of the Golf Swing

Learning the fundamentals of the golf swing is key to developing tempo. This can be achieved through quality instruction. This will allow your body to learn the nuances of the swing. This is the first step in developing tempo.

Consistent Practice of the Golf Swing

As they say practice makes perfect. In order for your body to learn and be able to repeat to proper mechanics of the golf swing, you must practice on a consistent basis. The body learns biomechanical movements through repetition. The golf swing is no different. Repetition through proper practice session is the second key to developing tempo.

Swing Drills to Develop the Golf Swing

The golf swing as a whole is one of the most intricate athletic movements to perform. In its entirety, it is a very difficult movement to perform and master. It is best when learning the golf swing to break it down into parts. Breaking the golf swing down into segments allows you more easily to master each phase of the swing. This is accomplished through the implementation of golf swing drills. Swing drills break the swing down into manageable parts.

Training Aides in Association with Your Golf Swing Drills

Training aides assist the body in developing the golf swing. Think of training aides as “training wheels” on a bicycle. They simply help your body learn certain movements and positions associated with the golf swing.

Implementing a Golf Fitness Program

Your body swings the golf club and performs the biomechanics of the golf swing. In order to perform the biomechanics of the golf swing correctly. It is necessary for your body to have certain levels of flexibility, balance, endurance, strength, and power. If your body is lacking any of this aforementioned list learning the biomechanics of the golf swing correctly will be very difficult. A golf fitness program is the final key to developing tempo in your golf swing.

Summary

To summarize the development of tempo in your golf swing requires a “basket of tools”. Tempo requires; proper instruction on the golf swing, consistent practice of your golf swing mechanics, the utilization of swing drills, training aides, and a golf fitness program. Put all of these aspects together and a golf swing with tempo will be yours.

About the Author

Sean Cochran is one of the most recognized golf fitness instructors in the world today. He travels the PGA Tour regularly with 2005 PGA & 2004 Masters Champion Phil Mickelson. To learn more about Sean and his golf fitness programs go to http://www.seancochran.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sean_Cochran